Black Swan

Intricate, dreamy horror. Impressive long takes of impeccable performances cut in a very spartan and effective style. Has a decidedly subversive ‘ick’ factor. Another of Aronofskys examples of ‘beautiful ugly’. Not quite ‘Requiem for a Dream’…but certainly on the right path. PS- Portman+Kunis=WOW. 🙂 May 15, 2011 at 2:48pm

Paul

A sly lil nod to geeks everywhere(yay us!) with some clever humor and surprising action. Rogen is well suited as the alien Paul with Pegg and Frost bringing their ‘dynamic’ to the American setting effectively. And it’s always a treat to see Sigourney Weaver on screen. For an easy laugh, this is a safe bet. […]

Knight and Day

Against my inital impression, this flick was cool… Mission: Impossible with a quirky charm and some wildly kinetic action scenes. Cruise and Diaz had a fun sorta chemistry and the story, far fetched as it was, didn’t outstay its welcome or get TOO stupid. In the same vein as RED. A fun ‘watch’. April 18, […]

Sucker Punch

An INCREDIBLE feast for the eyes with a near operatic tragedy at its core. Any human with even the most remote geek sensibilities will get some kind of ‘kick’ out of this. Every shot is beautifully detailed and creatively composed. The film nicely manages empowerment AND blatant sexualizing of its female characters somehow. A dazzling […]

Valhalla Rising

Um…wow. Oddly paced and strangely flavoured art film set in the time of The Crusades. VERY quiet. Cold and bleak with nice use of minimal sound. Some impressive gore effects ‘flesh out’ the stories inherent violent purpose. There is an eerie, dream-like undercurrent to this unsettling piece of cinema. Did I mention quiet? Not for […]

The Town (theatrical version)

Gone Baby Gone was not a fluke. Affleck can actually direct well. Nice gritty styling and good performances all round. Comparable to Heat in depth with well thought out robbery sequences to match. And strangely enough, a heart at it’s core. Gonna have to check out the ‘directors cut’. I’m curious to see more. This […]

Monsters

Considering the tiny budget, this film is VERY well crafted. The two believeable leads have good chemistry as they navigate through the ‘perilous travel’ story. The aliens are ominous products of the ‘less is more’ school of thought. And the ending is intelligently ambiguous. This lil gem deserves an appreciative audience. Check it out! March […]

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest

Larger in scope with more focus on the political/legal intrigue. The ongoing story flows well from the previous film with a nicely blooming espionage mystery at its core. The best way to enjoy this series is back-to-back. If foreign cinema works for you…this trilogy is a must-see. March 17, 2011 at 11:05pm

The Girl Who Played with Fire

Good continuation of the Lisbeth Salander saga. Some nice links to the first film that do make sense while still maintaining some ‘surprise’. And Noomi Rapace fits the characters tattoo’d skin well. She’s a force to be reckoned with while still carrying a subtle layer of sad adolescence just under the surface. I’m curious to […]

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Intense. Moody. At times unpleasant. The unknown, but talented actors effectively bring the characters to life. A gritty, well-paced mystery best seen in the subtitled version…if you can handle it. A nice addition to the pool of good foreign serial killer movies. If you like this, try the French film The Crimson Rivers. March 13, […]